Blood and Water II
by freedomfighter4
Summary: The follow up to Blood and Water, for all that requested it.  Finished at last.
1. Chapter 1

Blood and Water II

A follow up for all of Blood and Water, for all who asked for it.

I don't own any character in this story, except of Desiree. The rest belong to Sega, Dic, and Archie. More to come soon, Enjoy.

"Hey, where's Sonic?" Tails asked as he bound into Sally's hut, his pack slung over his shoulder and a wide smile on his face. Sally looked up from the scrap of cloth she had been cutting, sitting her scissors aside and standing, walking over to the kitchen.

"I made some lemonade. Want some?" She asked, pulling two cups from her cupboard.

"Nah, I don't have time. We'll be leavin' any minute."

"You have time for a cup Tails." Sally told him, pouring him a cup and handing it to him. She sighed, pouring herself a large cup and sitting the pitcher aside.

"Has the mission been delayed?"

"No. They're . . . they're already gone Honey."

"Gone! Aunt Sally . . . I was supposed to go too!" Tails sat his cup on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sonic forgot me?"

"No. I . . . I thought it would be best if . . ."

"You told them to go." Tails eyed her angrily, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Tails . . . Honey, this mission it's . . . it's dangerous and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"You said I could go." He reminded her, frowning sharply.

"I know I did. But Uncle Chuck sent some new information and it's just . . ."

"It's always dangerous you know! It's always gonna be dangerous."

"Tails, you can go next time, I promise."

"It isn't fair! I'm thirteen now ya know! I should be goin' on every mission, every time!"

"Calm down." Sally told him sternly, but he stomped his foot, angry.

"I'm not a little kid anymore! Just because you got hurt and are scared to go back doesn't mean I shouldn't get to go!" There had been an accident in the city three months prior and Sally had broken her arm. Though she seemed to be completely healed and had been for weeks, she had not started to go on missions again.

"I have broken bones before Tails. I'm not afraid to go back." She told him hotly, her eyes hardening some. To her surprise Tails didn't back down, but puffed his chest out a little, standing up as straight as he could.

"Then why haven't you gone back?" Sally didn't reply and Tails nodded, smirking in much the way Sonic did when he was sure he was right.

"It doesn't matter why I'm staying behind. The point is you aren't going on missions that are too dangerous for your level of experience."

"How am I supposed to learn if I don't go on more difficult missions!" He yelled at her, showing her his teeth in aggravation.

"Go to your hut!" Sally demanded, not backing down from the adolescent fox. "We'll talk about this later."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no! I'm not goin' to my hut."

"Tails you will . . ."

"No! You can't tell me what to do! You're not my mom! You aren't even really my aunt! You aren't anybody!" Sally's eyes opened wide in shock and she took a step backwards, knocked off balance by the sudden declaration. She gulped, hurt and fighting against tears. She blinked rapidly, shaking her head slightly.

"You . . . you're right Tails. I'm not . . . kin to you. I'm not your blood. You aren't my blood. It never mattered to me that . . . that you aren't . . . aren't . . . mine. I guess it matters to . . . to you. And that's, if that's the way you feel . . . then that's . . . ." Sally trailed off, licking her dry lips and pushing her hair away from her face. "Regardless. I am the leader of Knothole and you will not . . ."

"Well maybe I don't wanna live here anymore." Tails spat, whirling around and storming out of her hut. Sally began to race after him, then stopped, watching him walk away, toward his hut. It was probably best to let him cool off a bit and Sally's stomach was churning in the most nauseating way. She sighed, shutting her door.

Two hours later Sally stood at the entrance to Tails' hut, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, waiting a little impatiently for him to answer the door. She knocked again, louder this time, but still there was no answer. She tried the knob, it was unlocked and she pushed the door open slowly, peering inside. Tails wasn't there. His pack and his pillow were gone as well. On the bed a yellow piece of paper lay. With mounting dread Sally walked over to the bed, scooping the paper from the crumpled quilt it sat on.

I'm tired of being treated like a kid. I'll go where I'm needed. Later.

Tails.

The letter was short, but minutes ticked by and Sally still could not absorb the meaning of one line of words. She read it twice, then a third time, shaking her head, a hand rising first to cover her open mouth and then to shove trembling fingers through her bangs in quick, repetitive stabbing motions. She sat the note down on his dresser, then picked it up again, shoving it into her vest pocket. The sun seemed too bright as she stumbled back out the door, her eyes closing for a moment. Where would he go? To the city, was her first thought, but no if he headed to the city there was a good chance he would be found by Sonic and of course Sonic would bring him home. Another Freedom Fighter group perhaps? But still she doubted it. Any of the groups would contact her the moment he showed up and he knew it. So, where in all of Mobuis would he go?

Tails paused, glancing at the compass he had gotten last year for his birthday. The needle told him he was moving south and he supposed that was alright. He wasn't exactly going anywhere in particular. Let them worry. Let them think he was gone forever. He'd camp out in the forest and then they'd be so happy when he showed up tomorrow they'd be sorry they hadn't included him. They would be sorry they had been treating him like some stupid kid. Aunt Sally would probably beg him to go on every single mission after this. He smiled, then paused, his large ears flickering. He had heard something in the leaves behind him. Cautiously he turned, his eyes scanning the forest behind him. He saw nothing and mentally fussed at himself for being a big baby. It was probably just a bird, he told himself. He was about to begin walking again when something sounded from his right. There was a flash of light color, a grunt, and then only darkness.

Tails awoke slowly, his head pounding. He was laying on a pallet of musty blankets, staring up at a poorly constructed roof, the bamboo slats too far apart and Tails could see the dark night sky through the bigger gaps. Slowly he sat up, rubbing at his temple. He shifted, stopping short when he heard the loud click of metal. His left ankle was ringed with a tight fitting chain, a padlock holding it together. The chain trailed along the bare, dirt floor of the structure to a large slab of concrete, possibly the remnants of another building, long ago lost to time. There were metal bars jutting from the slab in odd arches and the chain was attached to one, another padlock holding it in place. Tails wrapped his hands around the chain, pulling at the metal, but it was strong and unyielding. It was dark in the poorly built structure and Tails felt along the ground, hoping to find a rock to try and break the lock with. He only found a bowl, full of water and a pillow that smelt vaguely of vomit. He was trapped and frightened he called out for help, his voice cracking, nearly hysterical.

"You're awake." A female voice commented from his far right. The voice was wispy and vaguely familiar, like the voice from a dream. Tails strained to see, but he could not make out the owner of the voice. "There's water if you want it."

"Where am I?" Tails asked, trying to regain some of his composure.

"Home. What do you think Miles?" The voice replied after a moment and the memory of the voice tickled the back of Tails' mind briefly before becoming sharper and in foucus. He recalled this voice, could even remember the face it belonged to.

"Desiree?" He questioned, still trying desperately to see her in the shadows of the room.

"It's very disrespectful to call me that Miles." She told him gruffly and he could hear her moving closer. Suddenly she immerged from the darkness. She was dirty, her fur matted in places and gone in others, perhaps from mange or heavy flea infestation. She was gaunt, her cheekbones seeming to jut out from her face, her arms willowy and frail looking. The only thing about her with any fullness at all was her middle, which was swollen and round in the later months of pregnancy.

"Why did you bring me here?" He questioned angrily, again pulling at his chain.

"I need you. Momma needs her little boy, Momma loves her boy." She told him, her eyes seeming distant and glazed.

"You don't care about me. If you cared you would have stayed in Knothole and gotten help."

"I care. Of course I care Miles. I missed you so much. Didn't ya miss me?"

"No." He answered angrily, but truthfully. "I pretty much forgot about you."

"Forgot? How could you forget your Momma?"

"I didn't want to remember you. Who would?" He sneered at her, then turned away slightly.

"But . . . but I was coming back for you . . . I just had to get some things ready." She protested, sounding amazed he held such hostility toward her.

"I'm glad you didn't. I was afraid you'd come back for a while. I thought you were dead by now, I hoped you were dead!"

"Dead? Why . . . why would you think I was . . . dead?"

"It's been three years since ya were in Knothole. I figured ya would 'ave come back to harass us at some point if you were still alive . . . or coherent enough to remember how to get there." Desiree was silent for a long time, her eyes seemingly focused on nothing, her lips slack in a strange pout. She seemed to snap back to herself after a time, blinking rapidly.

"It was them wasn't it? They poisoned you against me." She looked like she might cry for a moment, then her fist clinched and she sneered.

"What are you talking about?"

"That princess. She did it. She told you not to love me, didn't she! Didn't she! She told you she was your Momma, she took you from me!"

"Sally told me I should pray for you. She told me I ought to feel sorry for you when I said I hated you. She never told me she was my mother. But she is. And she's a better mom than you could ever dream ta be." Tails remembered the hurtful words he had spoken to Sally earlier, regretting immensely what he had said to her. He looked down for a moment, then looked up when the fox in front of him shifted, watching Desiree closely, guardedly, half expecting her to attack him. Instead she lowered herself to the ground, just beyond his reach.

"I knew that's what happened." She muttered, stroking her middle for a moment before looking up at him again. "That's why I've been hiding. I knew she'd come an' take the baby . . . just like she took you away from me. I've been hiding from her. She sends that blue demon out to look for me . . . so they can steal the baby when it comes."

"You're out of your mind." Tails shook his head, staring at her in disbelief. "No ones been looking for you. No one knew where you were and certainly not that you were pregnant. You're crazy."

"Crazy?" She laughed, the sound strangely strangled and harsh. "I'm crazy . . . is that right? I saw him! I saw him running an' looking for me!"

"If Sonic has gone through this area it wasn't ta look for you! You live near the swamp and we salvage parts there sometimes. It gets foggy and HoverUnits crash all the time."

"To make a satellite! To find me!" She shouted, looking like she had just had the most dreadful epiphany.

"No, to build a derobotisizer. To find things to help us fight 'Buttnik."

"I figured it out!" She declared as if she hadn't heard him. "They thought they were so smart. The Acorns are so greedy. They're so greedy that they're inbred! An' she's so inbred she can't spit anything but nasty little bits a' nothin' from her lady parts. I make good babies. I make beautiful, good little babies. That's why she picked me. That's why she takes my beautiful . . . good . . . babies. I know now. I understand."

"Desiree, you left me. Abandoned me. Sally did not take me away from you."

"I was comin' back Miles! I was gonna come back for you!"

"It took you ten years to come for me. Ten. You knew where you left me an' you didn't care. You're too sick to care."

"I'm better now." She told him softly, blinking rapidly.

"Let me go, please."

"I want you to be happy."

"Then please . . . let me go home. Let me go."

"I dunno." Desiree pulled a key out of the pocket of the very tattered shirt she wore. "I want you to be the best you can be Miles."

"Let me see the key." He held out his hand and it seemed for a moment she was going to hand it to him. She reach out a little, pausing just beyond his outstretched fingers. "Please. I'll . . . I'll get us help."

"You'll tell them where I am!" She snatched the key away, her eyes narrowing in anger. "You want them to take my baby! You want them to turn it against me, just like they did with you. I knew it. I knew you would."

"No . . . I won't! I won't tell 'um anything . . . just please . . ."

"I don't believe you! You're too much like that Sally. She's made you her child. She's made you like her. You'll tell. You have to stay here now. I'll fix you. I'll wash her off your mind. I can."

"Please . . . I just want ta go home."

"You are home."


	2. Chapter 2

It was well after dark when Sonic shot from the slid tree, landing with a soft whoosh in the hay stack. He immerged quickly, mindful of the others that were following after him. He had expected Sally to be there waiting for him, but as he shook the straw away from his fur he saw that Rosie was the only one standing nearby, pacing in a tight little circle, muttering.

"Sonic!" She called to him, waving a frantic hand and pulling her cape closer around her chest.

"Rosie, where's Sal?"

"Oh dear! I tried to tell her to wait on you. Dear me, but she just wouldn't listen. I tried to get her to wait, I honestly did."

"Where'd she go?"

"It seems that little Tails has run away."

"Run away? Why?"

"I don't know. The Princess was so distraught . . . she didn't tell me. She's gone after him."

"Which way'd she go?"

"Oh my . . . well I . . . I think . . . oh come on now, what did she say?"

"Come on Rosie! It's gettin' late an' Sal's . . . well she shouldn't be out in the middle a' nowhere wonderin' around."

"South! She said she was going to the south first."

"I'll be back." He told her, rushing away, into the forest.

Sally shivered her breath a white plum of air hanging in front of her as she walked, a lantern in her shaking hand. She wished absently that she had thought to bring a coat, for the night air had a bitter chill to it. Dew clung to her fur, making her feel uncomfortably damp and clammy. She had lost Tails' trail hours ago, but still she trudged on, unable to stop, her mind consumed with one horrific image after another. The boy slumped against a pile of jagged rocks, bleeding to death. His blue eyes foggy and dead, his arms wrapped around himself in a futile attempt to keep himself warm. A little two tails robot. Sally shook her head. He would be alright. She would find him before any of those things could happen. She would find him and take him home. She would apologize for excluding him. She would explain she hadn't been herself lately. She would tell him, he would understand, and everything would be alright. Everything was going to be just fine. Sally paused, holding her lantern a little higher, trying to get some idea where she was. The ground was soggy in places, a good sign she was nearing the Great Swamp. Perhaps she should try a different direction, for why would the kit ever choose to trudge through that boggy, bug infested place.

"Sally!" An echoing voice behind her, sounding almost frantic.

"Sonic?" She called, turning to stare at the darkness she had just come from. She could hear him running now, running toward her and less than a minute later he was skidding to a stop, nearly falling in the slippery mud.

"Sal! I was startin' ta think I wasn't gonna find ya. Are ya alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Fine? You're shakin' and you're wet. Ya aren't fine." Sonic slipped his arms out of his pack, sitting it on a rock and pulled out a blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders. "Let me take ya home. I'll look for Tails."

"No. I can't. It's my fault Sonic. I shouldn't have sent you without him. I shouldn't have treated him like that. I didn't even tell him he couldn't go until it was to late for him to argue or make his case and now he . . . he's . . . ." Sally blinked rapidly, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes.

"It's not your fault."

"It is. I made a bad call. I've been making them for the last couple months."

"You're just tryin' ta protect 'im Sal. Who can blame ya for that?"

"He can. And he's right Sonic. I've been . . . overbearing. Suffocating him." She made a pained sound and sat down on the rock Sonic had sat his pack on, pulling the flap open and rummaging inside. "He asked me why I haven't been back to the city today." She told Sonic without looking up.

"Did ya tell 'im?"

"No. I almost did . . . but I didn't want . . . he was already upset by then and I . . . I don't know." She huffed, making a face, still rooting in the leather pack on her lap.

"What are ya lookin' for?" Sonic asked after a while, sitting down beside her.

"Don't you have anything to eat in here? You always have something to eat."

"Sorry. I don't 'ave nothin' this time." He took his pack from her, shouldering it again. "Let me take ya back ta Knothole so ya can get a late dinner."

"No, I'm not giving up till we find him."

"Sal . . . it's late, it's dark . . .an' besides he knows how ta take care of himself. There's a good chance he just wanted ta . . . ta blow a little steam. Make a scene maybe. Doin' that whole teenage rebellion thing. He'll probably show up tomorrow mornin' actin' like nothin' happened."

"He's our responsibility Sonic! We have to take care of him."

"We taught him real good Sal. He's to smart ta go to the city. He knows the woods. There ain't nothin' we can do tanight. You know it."

"Yes, but . . ."

"How's it gonna help anythin' if ya get sick? Humm?"

"What if he's hurt? Or lost?"

"He ain't lost. I taught him better than that. He's probably not hurt either. We can't do nothin' tanight Sal. Come on."

"I don't like this. I don't like just assuming he's okay."

"The chances of findin' him are slim, especially if he doesn't wanna be found. If he ain't home first thing in the morin' we'll send everyone out ta look, pull out all the stops. Please Sal, before ya catch a cold or stumble over a stupid rock or somethin' out here in the dark. Dr. Quack told ya ta take it easy an' that's what your gonna do."

"Honestly Sonic, I'm fine. That's was months ago anyway."

"Well, he never said you don't hafta ta it easy any more. So ya still do."

"Sonic . . . look, it's not like . . . never mind, I'm not going to win this argument regardless of what I say. I am tired . . . and cold . . . and hungry. We'll go home. But we're heading out first thing in the morning, right?"

"I swear. If he ain't back we'll go lookin'." Sally sighed, but nodded, knowing Sonic was right. The chances of finding him that night were poor and making herself sick would not help matters in the slightest.

Tails didn't come home that morning and all the forest divided into sections, search parties assigned to areas and sent out. Again Sonic and Sally headed south, for Sally had remembered something, something that had begun to nag at her mind and tug at her heart. It had been three years since Desiree Prower had been seen, but that didn't mean she was gone. She had told them she lived south of Knothole. Had she ever told Tails that and even if she had, would he have remembered it? It was possible and she had to concede it was also possible he was looking for her, seeking out the mother than had left him not once, but twice. Tails hadn't said a word about Desiree in a long time, years actually, but that didn't mean he hadn't thought about her. Sally had shared her concerns with Sonic and he had winched at the mention of the fox's name, like the memory somehow physically pained him. Sally had hoped Sonic would argue a case against the idea and had been severely disheartened when he had nodded and agreed that it was a possibility.

The morning was chilly and their progress slow. It had rained a little in the early morning hours and the already moist ground in the area was mud, thick and sticky. The cold of the air did not seem to deter the insects that buzzed noisily in droves. Thunder rumbled overhead, promising more rain as Sonic stood, his sneakers wet and dirty, trying to pretend he couldn't hear Sally vomiting a few feet away in a clump of bushes. He swallowed hard, the sound making his own stomach churn sickly. It was the second time that morning she had been forced to stop to empty her stomach and Sonic felt a good amount of aggravation, not really at her, but the situation in general.

"Sorry." She muttered as she rejoined him, wiping at her mouth with a scrap of green cloth she had pulled from her vest pocket.

"Sal . . . if ya aren't feelin' up ta this I could . . ."

"No, I'm alright. It's just . . . mostly nerves."

"Okay." He sighed, shaking his head.

Tails groaned, trying to shake the moister from his fur. He managed to get to his feet, but could only move a couple steps in any direction. Desiree had disappeared sometime during the night, promising to bring food. In the light of day he could see the structure and he studied it, learning his surroundings. There was another pallet of blankets in the far corner and what looked like a poorly constructed bassinet. It leaned at a sharp angle, any baby put inside would almost surely end up rolling out and onto the ground. Tails sighed, looking away. There was a warped metal table off to the left. It was rusted in places, the last remnants of white paint bubbled up from heat and water damage. There was a chair with miss-matched legs beside it and a chair with only two legs lying on its side underneath it. Tails stepped away from the pallet, testing the length of the chain, his eyes on the floor, looking of anything that might help him escape. Paper littered the floor and there was a little glass glittering in the sun, but little else. He bent, rolling the blankets up, looking underneath them. Several cockroaches scurried away as he moved the dirty blankets and he shuddered, shaking himself again, imagining he could feel the itching crawl of insects. He nearly dropped the blankets to scratch at himself, but at the last moment his eye settled on something he hadn't seen before, something nearly completely covered in dirt. A knife. He plucked it up, looking it over. It wasn't a sharp knife, but the small, flat sort for spreading butter or jam. Still it could be useful. Tails sat it back down, rolling the blankets back out, settling quickly as he heard the loud squishing sound of muddy feet approaching. A moment later Desiree entered, gnawing at the remains of some sort of melon. She stopped short when she saw him, pulling the rind away from her lips, yellow pulp clinging to the fur on her chin.

"Miles . . . I forgot you were here." She chuckled a little, shaking her head. She sighed, settling on her own pallet, tossing her scraps aside. "I'm so tired."

"What about me?"

"Oh Sweetie . . . you can rest to if you want."

"No, I mean what about food . . . for me?"

"Food? I'll go get you something after my nap."

"Yeah . . . okay." He sighed, sitting down on his pile of blankets, waiting for her to go to sleep so he could try to pop the lock with the knife he had found. Desiree lay down, her eyes slipping shut. Tails sat for a few minutes, watching her, then reach under the pallet to get the knife.

"I hope it's a girl." Desiree muttered and Tails jerked his hand back, folding his hands innocently over his knees before her eyes opened. "I mean . . . girls are so much fun. There are a lot of pretty names for girl babies. With boys . . . it's just boring."

"Yeah." He agreed, hoping she would start to drift off again.

"There's just so many . . . it's hard to decide. I'm thinkin' maybe Poppy . . . isn't that pretty."

"Pretty ironic." Tails muttered, huffing quietly.

"Yeah, pretty." She nodded, her eyes closing again. They stayed closed this time and Tails retrieved the knife, trying first to manipulate the lock with the thin tip. He worked at the little slot where the key ought to go, but couldn't force the mechanism inside to turn over. He studied the chain, looking for a defect, finding a link close to the floor that had a tiny gap in it. He set to work, using the thick handle to try and widen the gap. Slowly, so slowly the space grew. Just a little more and he could slip the links apart and he would be free. He was sweating, all his concentration bent on escape, on the chain. He didn't notice when Desiree's eyes opened, or even when she sat up. Freedom was only an inch away and he worked with a fiery determination. So close, so close . . . suddenly he felt a gentle tap on the top of his head and he looked up, yelling in surprise.

"Desiree!"

"You're trying to get away. Why are you trying to get away Miles? Aren't you happy?"

"Happy? I'm chained to the floor! Of course I'm not happy!"

"But . . . I don't understand." She shook her head in dismay. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment, then turned to him again, smiling widely. "I'll make you happy."

"It'd make me happy if you'd just let me go."

"Momma loves you so much . . . she'll share her happiness. She can spare a little happiness." She walked back to her own pallet, pulling a towel with something wrapped tightly inside it from under her pillow. Tails could hear the clink of something glass as she came closer and he backed away, afraid.

"No. Just . . . just leave me alone." He told her, trying to sound mean, trying to sound tough, and grown up. He just sounded scared.

"This always works." She told him, rolling her towel out and busying with the glass bottle and the syringe inside. Tails called out, screaming for help, calling for someone, anyone. He called, then screamed once, high and piercing. After that he was quiet as death.


	3. Chapter 3

Sally paused, her ears twitching slightly to the left. There had been a sound, the call of a bird maybe. Or a scream. It could have been a distant scream. Sonic stopped, looking back to where Sally stood, her attention honed on the distant woods to her left.

"Please don't tell me ya gotta blow chunks again."

"Did you hear something?"

"No . . . a bird a minute ago."

"I don't think it was a bird Sonic. It sounded . . . it sounded like a scream to me." Sally took a few steps toward the sound, then paused to look over her shoulder. "It's not too dense through here . . . do you think you can run?"

"I can try." Sonic told her, glancing at the foliage she was indicating. Sally moved into his arms, but he shook his head. "I'm not runnin' with ya . . . not in the woods like this, where I can't really see where I'm goin'."

"Sonic . . . !" Sally began testily, but he cut her off.

"If I trip or somethin' I might drop ya."

"You've never dropped me."

"There's a first time for everythin' Sal. I don't wanna risk it. You follow me."

"It'll take me forever to get anywhere!"

"Sorry, but I'm not doin' it." He sighed and tried to hug her when he saw her face crumple in what looked like sorrow, but she pulled away.

"We're wasting time arguing. Go on."

"Sal . . ."

"I'm fine, go." Sonic shook his head, but took off, leaving her to follow slowly behind.

Sally padded slowly through the trail left by Sonic's sprit, grumbling to herself. A damp low hanging branch of a willow slapped at her and she shivered, shoving the limp branch away. The mud was thick, each step an effort, her boots sinking into the boggy ground and sticking. After a time of such frustration and effort Sally sat down on a tree stump and removed the wet leather from her cold paws. She stood, the mud sinking between her toes coldly. Still the going would be easier without her boots and she reach out for them, intent on sticking them in the top of her pack. The mud made them slippery though and she lost her grip on the right one, the boot tumbling down an embankment just behind the stump they had been setting on. Sally cursed, glancing over her shoulder and calling for Sonic. There was no answer and after a couple minutes she cursed again, climbing over the stump and slowly making her way down the wet embankment.

"Stupid boot." She grumbled, grabbing at a large clump of mud when she nearly fell. Sally's voice became more nasal in a mock impersonation of her companion. "Oh Sal . . . I can't carry you because I could drop you, but I'll leave ya' high an' dry to climb down a mountain of sludge!" Finally she reach the bottom, picking her wayward boot up and glaring at it with irritation. She was about to begin the daunting task of climbing back up the muddy hill when she noticed something glittering in the morning sun. A small glass bottle. Sally plucked the bottle off the ground, studying it with grim realization. It was morphine vile. Sally called for Sonic again, louder this time, but she doubted he was close enough to hear. He would double back at some point to look for her, but she couldn't waste time waiting on him. She sat the bottle down, pointing the slender neck of the bottle in the direction she was heading in and hurried away, praying she wasn't too late.

Desiree stumbled to the river, bending low to drink from the water that rushed ever onward, her reflection nearly as blurry as her mind. For a time she had been aware of the deterioration of her mind and had worried a little about it. She had even thought about going back to Knothole to ask for help. She didn't really remember the way though, it had been complete luck she had found it the first time. It hadn't been long until she had become so muddled that such thoughts ceased and she lost what little bit of sense she had left, becoming completely lost in her own troubled mind. There was nothing left but fear and paranoia, hurt and mistrust. She saw things that weren't there sometimes and heard echoing voices that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. So it wasn't surprising that when she stood and spied the Princess on the other side of the river she thought at first she was nothing more than one of the many wispy ghosts that appeared and disappeared constantly.

"Desiree!" The image called and the fox blinked, trying to clear her vision. "Desiree, where is he?"

"Who?" She asked, standing slowly, tilting her head in confusion.

"Tails! Where is Tails?"

"Tails?"

"Damn it Desiree! Miles! Where is he?"

"Oh, Miles." She nodded, smiling and then sneering as her mood shifted. "I got him back. I found him!"

"Where is he?"

"He's mine again. You think you can just come and take him away? You think you can be anything to him? He's my son! My son!"

"Desiree . . . you . . . you're sick. You've very sick . . . please let me help you. I'll help you."

"I'm not sick! I'm not! You just want to take Miles away! You wanna take Miles and this . . . this new baby. I know you've been waiting . . . watching . . . I know your plan Princess!"

"You're confused . . ." Sally began, but Desiree snarled, wrapping her arms around her middle in a protective gesture.

"I know. I know you picked me . . . that you want all my babies . . . that you'll take them all."

"I just want to see that . . . that Miles is okay. I just want to see him for a minute Desiree. Can't you show me where he is? Just so I can see what a good job you're doing?"

"You . . . you want to see?"

"That's all." Sally lied, nodding vigorously. "I just want to see what a wonderful mother you're being."

"I'll show you . . . so you can know. So you can see that I'm a good Momma. I am a good Momma." Desiree motioned for her and Sally waded across the shallowest part of the river, joining her side. Desiree smiled and nodded, beginning to walk away, Sally following close behind. A few minutes later a small opening appeared, a dilapidated shack of a house leaning against the trees closest to it. Sally broke into a run then, dashing for the house, Desiree shouting after her. There was no door in the opening and Sally hurried inside. Lying on a pile of blankets in the far corner was Tails, his eyes closed, his arms and legs limply splayed wide. Sally called his name, but he didn't stir. She dropped to her knees to examine him, feeling the sudden, biting pain of what could only be a sliver of glass cutting into the flesh of her lower leg. She ignored it, her hands moving over the kit gently, searching for injury. Tails' eyes opened a little when she touched his face, the blue orbs glassy, his pupils dilated.

"Aunt Sally?" He questioned in a soft slur, squinting up at her.

"I'm here." She told him, pulling her pack off and rooting for Nicole. "We're getting out of here."

"Oh . . . I'm . . . . so . . . ." The kit sighed, smiling up at her happily. "I love ya Aunt Sally." He chuckled, his head flopping to the left.

"I love you too Honey." Sally flipped Nicole open, moving down to the chain that held the boy. "Nicole, laser please." The tiny laser hummed to life and Sally began to cut through the metal link.

"You lied to me!" A sudden voice thundered, Sally turning from her task slightly to see an enraged Desiree stumble into the doorway.

"He needs medical attention." Sally replied loudly, slipping Nicole back in her pack, the job complete. She stood then standing protectively in front of Tails, who was now humming some off tune song. "You drugged him." Sally spat with enough anger to make Desiree take a step back.

"No. I . . . I gave him medicine to make him feel better. To make him happy."

"Desiree . . ." Sally began, but then stopped, shaking her head. She stooped before Tails, pulling him into a sitting position. "Come on Honey, I need you to walk with me."

"You aren't taking him!"

"You can't take care of him Desiree. Can't you see that? Don't you know that deep down? You're sick and you need help. You need treatment. If you come back to Knothole with me we can . . ."

"No! No, no! I know what'll happen. You'll kill me! Kill me and take my baby!"

"We'll treat you. You'll have a safe, clean place to have your baby." Sally argued, still trying to help Tails to his feet.

"So you can take it! So you can make it your own."

"I don't . . . I really don't want your baby Desiree."

"You do . . . I can tell, it's the way you look at me, the way you keep lookin' at my belly, studying me."

"Your appearance is a little shocking. You're so thin . . . I'm wondering how it's possible you've sustained a pregnancy this long. You've done nothing to take care of yourself and I think it's sad. I'm sad for you Desiree. For you and that baby you're carrying." Sally sighed, shaking her head slightly, her left hand skimming her own middle for a moment, before coming to wrap around Tails who had finally struggled to his feet.

"I don't want your pity!" Desiree snapped, moving closer to them, her lips pulling back into a snarl. In a quick and surprisingly graceful move the fox lunged toward the table beside her, shoving a pile of junk aside and pulling from the mess a laser pistol. Sally's breath caught in her throat, her grip tightening on the boy beside her a little. Desiree smiled and nodded, waving the weapon in a clear threat. "See? I can take care of myself. Yes, I can keep you from cuttin' my baby out of me."

"Desiree, listen to yourself. What you're saying it doesn't even make sense. Just put down the gun and we . . . we'll talk about all this."

"You'll just trick me again. I'm not stupid Princess. I know the truth, I know your plan. Well, it won't work! It's my baby! My baby!"

"For the last time, I don't want your baby! I . . . I'm having my own baby." The gun seemed to waver some in Desiree's hand and her head cocked in a quizzical tilt.

"You . . . but . . . you're having . . . a baby?" She asked, her face twisting in such confusion it was nearly comical. Sally nodded, taking a couple hesitant steps forward, holding Tails close.

"I'm due the beginning of next year." Desiree blinked, the gun wavering a little more. Sally noticed this and continued talking, her voice soft, thoughtful. "It wasn't . . . completely on purpose, but after I got used to the idea I . . . I was glad. Happy." Sally smiled, taking another step, keeping Tails close to her side.

"That . . . that has to be . . . that can't be true." Desiree said softly, her eyes narrowing some. "It's a trick, isn't it?"

"No, it's true. I found out . . . it's funny sort of . . . the way I found out. We were on a mission in Robotropolis . . . routine stuff really, but even the most routine trips have complications sometimes. I was running from a couple SwatBots and I tripped over a pipe. I fell and broke my arm. Good thing Sonic was right behind me or I would have been . . . I would have been captured." Desiree seemed engrossed, almost mesmerized by Sally's words and the Princess continued her forward movement, each step slow and steady. "Anyway, he took me straight home, but about half way there I started to bleed a little from . . . . you know. It was odd. Our doctor, he did tests and then . . . I was on bed rest for a while, it seemed like a miscarriage was just a breath away. But time passed and . . . the bleeding stopped. Sonic's uncle, he brought a sonagraph from the city. It was old, out of date but it worked well enough for us to see that . . . that the baby is doing okay . . . good. Isn't it funny?"

"Funny?" Desiree questioned, blinking rapidly, the pistol pointed to the ground.

"Sure. It's funny that you haven't done a damn thing to take care of yourself and yet you're just weeks away from bringing another life into this world. A child you can't take care of, a child who will never know it's father . . . and I . . . I held my breath every time I used the bathroom for a month . . . so sure each time I'd see . . . something horrible. I walked on eggshells, I sat down so slow and carefully. I was nearly afraid to bend over for a while. I've stopped going to the city, I don't work in the gardens, I don't . . . well I don't do much of anything anymore. All to insure the safety of this baby that I nearly lost." Sally probably shouldn't have insulted Desiree, she had gotten carried away, but for a moment it seemed the fox was not going to react at all, but then the realization of the Princess' words kicked in and the laser pistol again jerked upward, toward Sally and the barely lucid kit leaning heavily against her.

"You think you're better than me, don't you?" Desiree's lips curled into a hateful smile, wide and without humor, her mouth void of many of her front teeth. "You think you deserve a baby more than I do. That you're better." The pistol lowered a little again, this time with purpose, the muzzle of the weapon honed on Sally's midsection.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonic skidded to a stop, narrowly missing a thick tangle of some prickly bush. His way was blocked by the thorn bushes, with no way around. He sighed, turning around and heading back the way he had come to give Sally the bad news. A couple minutes later he stopped again, looking around, his brow furrowing in confusion. He had traveled all the way back to the place he had left Sally, but she was nowhere to be seen. He sighed, easily finding the indention of her footsteps in the mud. He retraced his steps until the boot prints ended, suddenly to be replaced with paw prints. There was something strangely disturbing about the imprints that moved forward just a couple steps and the circled back around only to disappear. Sonic thought for a moment, his imagination doing a fairly good job of getting in the way of any productive or realistic reasoning of what might have happened to her. He shook his head, trying to dispel paranoid thoughts of cannibalistic hyenas or giant Mobian eating plants. He huffed, dismissing the notion that Sally had rounded the corner only to accidentally stumble upon Robotnik taking a leak on the tree stump just to his right. That was ludicrous, it was impossible, but Sonic leaned closer to the stump just to be sure. It was then he saw a slight smear of mud and noticed the paw prints going down the steep embankment behind it. Relief washed over the hedgehog, but was quickly replaced with aggravation. What had possessed her to climb down the slippery hill? Why hadn't she waited on him? He had been making an awful lot of effort and even making sacrifices to insure she and the baby growing inside her were safe. He had taken her watch duties, had volunteered to work the gardens extra so she wouldn't have to. He had stopped eating chili dogs for a whole month because the smell had made her sick. He had become completely celibate and hadn't even complained about it, not once. He had gone above and beyond, all for her and it angered him that she would risk maneuvering down the muddy slop. He ran down the embankment and nearly kept running, his mind bent on finding the wayward Princess and giving her a piece of his mind. If the sun had not chosen that very moment to peek through the gray clouds above, Sonic would have never seen the little glass bottle lying in the grass. He stopped quickly, going back to where the glint had come from, bending to study the vile. He sighed, shaking his head sadly and stood, rushing forward a new fear suddenly griping his heart.

"Desiree . . . we . . . let's talk about this." Sally's voice wavered a little, her eyes sparkling with frightened tears. Desiree did not respond, her eyes focused on the slight, but noticeable curve of Sally's stomach. Sally remembered fleetingly Tails commenting only a week or so ago that she was getting a little "soft" which was a nice way of saying fat and that she ought to think about getting some exercise. He had smiled and suggested that it might do her good to go on a mission or two. She should have told him the truth then and wondered if she had if any of this would be happening now. Sonic had told her keeping the news from the kit was unwise and he had been right. Sally had simply wanted to save Tails from getting excited only to be devastated if she had a miscarriage. Almost as if her thoughts of him had stirred the boy from his stupor, Tails moaned, his head lifting. He blinked, confused by the scene before him. His mind was still thick, his thoughts sluggish and it took him a minute to understand Desiree was pointing a weapon at them. No, not him, but Aunt Sally. She was standing stiffly, her arm around Tails' waist holding him protectively against her. He could feel the slight tremble of the muscles there, the fear she was barley containing. Guilt gnawed at the pit of his stomach. This was his fault, the whole thing his doing.

With little thought and absolutely no planning the kit wrenched away from Sally, whose attention had been so totally on Desiree that she had not noticed Tails was again lucid. He flung himself at his mother, whose eyes opened wide, almost comically, in surprise. He attempted to jerk the pistol from her hands, but her grip was strong, unyielding. Time seemed to nearly stop as he struggled with Desiree, fighting for control of the gun. A life time seemed to pass as both foxes growled and grunted in effort. A shot sounded with a loud whine, hitting the ceiling, burning a hole the poorly constructed shelter. Sally shouted something Tails couldn't quite understand and a heartbeat later peach colored arms wrapped around Desiree's chest, pulling her backwards. Tails grip on the gun did not waver though and this caused another shot to fire from the barrel, this time striking something living and soft, the smell of burnt fur and flesh assaulting the boy's nose. He released the weapon, the pistol clattering to the floor. He backed away, shaking his head at the sight before him. For a moment he could almost believe what he thought he saw was some trick of his still drug affected mind. For just a moment it seemed his eyes were fooling him and the mother he had never truly known did not have a large, smoldering hole just below her left ear, but then her body fell limply to the floor, Sonic, who had tried to wrench the struggling foxes apart dropping her to land with a loud thump onto his rear, holding a hand to his left shoulder, where the shot had passed through Desiree's head and had badly burnt him. Tails stared, unmoving as Sally ran by him, dropping down first beside the injured hedgehog, checking quickly on his condition before she made her way to the dead woman, her small hands pressing at her pregnant middle, feeling for movement. With a speed that in that moment could have rivaled Sonic's she dumped the contents of her backpack, retrieving a medical pack. Tails turned away from the scene, shaking his head slowly, a strange sort of sorrow engulfing him. He had killed her. He had just killed his mother.

"Tails!" The boy did not turn to analogue Sally's call, staring at the far wall, staring though it. "Tails, I need your help!" She called, louder this time.

"She's dead!" He shouted back, his voice squeaking with emotion. "She's dead Aunt Sally! You can't help her!"

"You're right, she is dead. But the baby isn't, not yet. I need you to help me save it." Tails turned then, his stomach turning sickly when he saw that Sally was cutting deeply into the dead fox, blood pooling at her knees. "Grab Sonic's pack, there's a blanket in it." Tails moved to where Sonic sat, his head lowered in pain, but his eyes open and aware. Tails pulled the blanket from the top of the pack, bringing it back to where Sally knelt.

"Here." He tried to hand it to her, but she shook her head.

"Hold it open. I'm going to lay the baby on it."

"Aunt Sally . . . I . . .can't . . . I don't wanna . . ."

"This is your brother or sister Tails. Your family. I can't do this alone. Hold the blanket out." Her voice was firm, reassuring and Tails nodded, glancing away as Sally shoved both hands into the large incision she had just made. A minute later he felt a sudden weight against his arms and he turned back to stare wide eyed at the dark colored baby that was clearly a mix between a raccoon and fox. The baby, which was a boy, lay limply in his arms.

"Is he . . .is he . . . ?"

"Wrap the blanket around him. Rub your hands quickly over his body." Sally interrupted, not looking up from the thick fleshy cord she had tied off and was cutting through. Tails pulled the blanket over the tiny form, running his palms over the baby's chest and stomach. He firmly stroked, gasping in shock and nearly dropping the newborn kit when it began to mull softly, moving slightly in his arms.

"He's alive." He whispered softly, his eyes never leaving the squirming mass he held. "You're alive."

Three Months Later

Sally chuckled, amused and a little frustrated as she tried to situate the hungry baby Tails had named Tobi on her non-existent lap. The kit had been resting lightly upon the round fullness of her middle a moment before, but the unborn child within her had insisted on kicking upward, disturbing poor Tobi as he tried to drink his bottle. Sally stood with a grunt, giving up on finding the boy a spot to rest and instead held him in the crook of her arm, pacing around the kitchen as he finished his meal. Though it would be some time yet until they knew if Desiree's drug use or the time without oxygen in the womb had affected Tobi mentally, physically he was the picture of health. They could only hope that the little ring tailed baby had not suffered any brain damage.

Tobi finished the bottle, his bright blue eyes shimmering happily as he stared up at Sally's smiling face. He reach up as if to grab her muzzle or perhaps a firey strand of hair he couldn't hope to reach. Sally kissed the little fist and hoisted him up onto her shoulder, patting his back. Tobi let out a loud, wet burp just as Sonic entered the front door, Tails on his heels, both dirty from a trip to the city.

"Look Tobi . . . Daddy's home." Sally told the baby cheerfully as she kissed Sonic lightly. The couple had naturally taken the child on as their own and Sally had drawn up official papers, adopting both Tobi and Tails.

"I got 'im, take a load off Sal." Sonic held out his arms but Sally shook her head.

"I just bathed him and you're filthy."

"Alright, alright . . . I'll get cleaned up first, but then he's mine for the rest a' the night."

"Sounds good to me." Sally focused on Tails then, reaching out to gently stroke her fingers over the tuft of fur atop his head. "How did the mission go Honey?"

"Real good. I downloaded the information you wanted into Nicole and we got ta blow a communication tower. It was cool."

"Good, that information will come in handy."

"Yeah, I know it was the most important thing."

"No Tails, the most important thing is that everyone got home safely. In every mission that is always the most important thing, remember that."

"I will Aunt Sally."

"Why don't you go get washed up too." Tails nodded, turning away walking to the door. He stopped as he reach out for the handle and turned back around. He went back to where Sally stood, standing on the tips of his toes to kiss her cheek.

"I love you . . . Momma."


End file.
